December 2012

Your VIEW INTo NorTh hampshIrE LIfEsTYLE FREE

Planning

for

Christmas

“Cooking on Christmas

Day is one of those times

when being organised is

about as important as

buying the right gifts”

Loci Pannum

2

Designed, produced and

published by

mike peates

Chris Wright

3 holman Close

Bramley

hampshire

rG26 5XD

01256 881452 (mike)

01256 881233 (Chris)

www.locipannum.co.uk

editor@locipannum.co.uk

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printed by:

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Contents

Page 3

“Does Christmas Turn You Into A Pudding?”

Megan Collins Quinlan

Page 5

TREATZBoutiquePage 6

“Joking Apart”

Chris Horton

Page 8/9

“Christmas Recipe Tips and Hints”

Chris Wright

Page 10

“Complicated Christmas Menu?”

Megan Collins Quinlan

Page 11

“Please Don’t Buy an Electric Car”

British Science Association

Page 12

“Suduko Quiz & Answers”

We would like to welcome to the last ever edition of “Loci pannum” but fear not, we will be

back in 2013 under our new title of “North hampshire Life”. Loci pannum, or “local rag” to give it

the English translation was always a temporary name but we had to keep things under wraps

until we were ready to go. as we begin to expand our distribution area to cover more of North

hampshire, January 2013 seemed the perfect time to release the new name into the wild. a New

Year, a new start, new directions and our new name.

We would like to say that nothing will change, but the truth is, we have made the odd

mistake, the occasional typo, misprint etc etc. so going forward, we’d like to say that we will be

trying to change, but trying our best to continually improve. since the re-launch of the magazine,

we have been helped along the way by various people and as this year comes to a close, we’d like

to pass on our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all of you.

This issue I would also like to welcome a new member of our team, megan Collins Quinlan.

megan will our features editor and responsible for the majority of our articles. If you have any

suggestions for 2013, please contact us using the details below.

finally, we would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and best wishes for 2013.

Chris & mike

features Editor

megan Collins Quinlanwww.collinsquinlan.co.uk

December 2012 - Issue 8

3

It is said that 95% of the

uK population (and we

suspect, half the

population of Earth)

collapse on the sofa at the

end of Boxing Day and say

“never again....I couldn't

eat another thing!” It is

often taken as a given that

the Christmas celebrations

will result in an average

weight gain of at least half a

stone. This is not surprising

when you take into account

the work drinks and dinner,

the catch up with the ladies

from school, the kids school

cake stalls and the mulled

wine on chilly nights. This is all before we

even get to Christmas Day and New

Years!

Christmas all over the world is

inevitably intertwined with eating good

food and really enjoying ourselves

without any thought for the

consequences. That is until the belt won't

do up come New Year, we start the usual

diet and feel just a twinge of regret. If we

want to avoid the weight gain in the first

place, do we really need to starve

ourselves over the Christmas festivities?

The answer to that is a resounding no –

we just need to think a little differently

and make some small but measurable

changes.

for many years it has been clear that

we all need to eat less sugar and fewer

foods which act on our blood sugars. It is

thought that higher blood sugars lead to

increased insulin production which in turn

increases fat on our body – especially in

the form of visceral or internal fat. While

the jury may be out on low carbohydrate

diets, the fact that sugar is not ideal in the

average diet cannot be disputed. so how

will this impact on your traditional

Christmas dinner?

Your main meal

Christmas dinner itself is actually a

pretty healthy affair. We usually eat far

more vegetables than we realise and the

meat is often the

main part of the

meal – making it

very healthy and

full of satiating

protein. our

downfall is the

pudding and the

roasties. No one is saying don't have

them. Just think about a slight alteration.

When it comes to roast potatoes you

should consider having just one or two.

another idea is to roast new potatoes

which are waxier and will increase your

blood sugars more slowly. With pudding

you need to think about the amount of

sugar which is going into your food.

Desserts made with fruit

(not dried, as this is very

high in sugar), high cocoa

content chocolate, cream

and coconut all are great

options. These are higher

in fat but lower in sugar

and will satisfy you

without needing to be

overeaten. When choosing recipes, don't

forget that wheat in the form of most

flours will impact on your blood sugars

quicker than table sugar, according to the

glycemic index. however, ground almond

flour is a great alternative.

evening snacks

Those snacks we have in the evening

while watching the traditional family

movie can also be a problem for anyone

who is watching their weight. most are

very high in processed oils and

carbohydrates. These cheap snacks are

mass produced, unhealthy and not ideal

for anyone in the family – not least

children. You could however have the

cheese board

without the

crackers, devilled

eggs, little sausages,

nuts and

strawberries dipped

in 85% melted

chocolate.

FooD shopping

only buy as much food

as you need. The shops are

only closed for one or two

days at the most, so there is

no need to buy weeks

worth of food. Just get

what you need and try to

make sure that all your

guests take the leftovers

home with them. There is a

tendency to not want to

waste good food, but you

can't waste what you didn't

buy in the first place. That,

and you save money –

healthy, wealthy and wise!

christmas tipples

alcohol is a downfall for many

people who realise they need to lose a

little weight at Christmas. The alcohol

itself is full of calories, but it is the effect it

has on your resolve which causes the

main issues. once a glass or two of wine

has been consumed, those snacks look at

a little more tempting! The key is

moderation while having fun. Try adding

sparkling water to your wine to cut the

amount in half. You could do the same

with beer and diet lemonade. Try to have

shorts with a diet mixer rather than cider

and always keep water on hand for in

between drinks.

think beFore You act

finally, your attitude towards Christmas

might need looking at. most of us grew up

with family traditions which centre around

food at Christmas time. perhaps when we

were children we only had turkey and pudding

at Christmas or chocolates were saved for

festive times. however, nowadays, this is not

the case. These foods are available to us year

round, yet we act as though they are special.

What is special at Christmas time is the look on

the faces of our children, the getting together

with family and friends, sharing gifts and

having fun. The food is a side issue and should

remain as such. Try to give food less

importance and focus on what Christmas is all

about – family and friends.

I can hear the Bah humbugs already!

Yes, Christmas is all about letting yourself

go. But ask yourself this question? Did you

lose the half a stone from last year and if

you did, how hard was it? harder than

being a little more careful this year? The

choice is yours but I know what I will be

doing.

Does Christmas Turn You Into A Pudding? Ways To Avoid the Inevitable Half a Stone Weight Gain at Christmas

Megan Collins Quinlan

5

6

Joking ApartA review of Alan Ayckbourn’s Joking Apart as performed by the Loddon Players

Joking apart is alan ayckbourn’s

22nd full length play and tells the

story in four scenes and a period

of 12 years, how a “charming and

successful couple” affect the lives of

those around them. The action

flowed from a firework night to a

summer garden party and after the

interval a Boxing Day tennis match

and finally an 18th birthday party.

The couple, anthea and richard,

entertain their friends and

neighbours. Louise hayling was

charming as anthea, the hostess who

all the men fell for and peter francis

was perfectly cast as her other half; a

man eager to please and happy

playing tennis and cooking. Danny

spurrier was excellent as the

overbearing sven (richard’s business

partner) complete with admirable

scandinavian accent and provided the

most memorable comedic moment

when he arrived in his too tight tennis

gear. Denise hobbs was completely in

character as sven’s diet obsessed wife.

There were some memorable

performances from Gordon sutton as

the bumbling vicar, hugh, saddled

with a whining wife (Joy Newman)

who was very entertaining as neurotic

or ecstatic, depending on her

medication!

The play moves along with

underlying resentment as the

circumstances of the couples change.

Completing the cast is mark adams as

Brian (a former beau of anthea’s) and

Carolyn miles who cleverly and

convincingly plays three different roles

as Brian’s girlfriends. Lauren Newman

manages to convey sweetness with a

slightly world-weary charm as the

subject of the 18th birthday party,

anthea’s 18 year old daughter,

Debbie.

first time Director, Nick robinson,

deserves special praise for the

remarkable achievement of bringing

the production alive and creating an

excellent outdoor set, complete with

partial tennis court. I liked the subtle

use of hairstyle and make up changes

to suggest the passage of time which

was complemented by various props,

shrubs and flowers. Well done too to

the special effects team who created a

convincing firework display.

http://www.loddonplayersatsherfield.co.uk/

Chris Horton

l-r Danny spurrier, Denise hobbs, peter Francis, lauren newman, louise hayling,

carolyn miles, mark adams, Joy newman and gordon sutton

richard (peter Francis) prepares the garden for

Debbie’s 18th

sven is ready to play tennis

l-r gordon sutton (hugh) Danny spurrier (sven) louise hayling (anthea) and Denise hobbs (olive)

8

Roast Turkey

There are simply so many methods of roasting

turkey, often handed down from generation to

generation that it would simply be impossible to

provide a recipe to keep everyone happy. If you follow

these guidelines, this should ensure that your turkey

remains moist and more importantly, safe to eat.

forget about cooking the turkey upside down,

injecting it with melted butter (definitely don’t do that

one, the holes left behind help dry out the turkey!).

Basting the turkey means having to open the oven door

and one hint is to keep the number of times you open

the door to an absolute minimum (ideally, three times –

once to place the turkey in the oven, once to remove it

when removing the foil 45mins from the end of cooking,

finally when cooked). If you like covering the breast with

streaky bacon, only do that for the last 45mins but

personally, bacon is best served wrapped around

sausages or chopped in with the Brussels sprouts.

• always ensure that your turkey is fully defrosted

with the safest place to do so being the

refrigerator. It can take approximately 4-5 days

for a 20lb turkey to fully defrost.

• When calculating the cooking time based upon

the weight, always include the weight of any

stuffing (as this will add to the cooking time). Try

not to fully pack the turkey carcass as this will

impede the flow of flavours throughout the bird.

• for a fresh turkey, allow 20mins per pound for a

defrosted turkey, 10-15mins per pound for a

fresh turkey. always check the juices run clear at

the end of cooking.

• once the turkey is in the oven, do not open the

door until the last 45mins. This will help prevent

the turkey from drying out (as the oven increases

the heat to bring the oven back up to

temperature).

• remove the foil from the turkey 45mins from the

end to allow to brown.

• allow the turkey to rest for at least 30mins

before carving. (The turkey can rest for up to an

hour without losing too much heat).

9

Perfect Roast Potatoes

Fore Rib Roast Beef

The fore rib cut of beef is by far the most flavoursome

joint of beef and makes for the perfect Christmas roast.

Whilst a rib roast may seem awfully large for a Christmas

meal, just think of the cold meat you’ll have for Boxing Day.

(Beef dripping on toast for breakfast if you’re lucky!).

pre-heat your oven to 200ºC/400ºf/gas 6.

marinaDe

English mustard powder

fresh rosemary leaves

4 cloves of garlic (crushed)

6 good quality anchovy filets

2 tablespoons of sea salt

4 tablespoons of plain oil (vegetable/sunflower/rapeseed)

mix the marinade ingredients in a pestle and mortar or use a

blender.

rub the marinade into the beef joint and place into a large

roasting dish.

Do not cover the beef with foil!

after one hour, rotate the joint 180degrees to ensure even

cooking. Try to position the bones in the hottest part of the

oven (if you oven isn’t evenly heated).

The beef should be medium done after 90mins but if you pre-

fer your beef well done, then no more than two hours should

suffice. remember, the meat will continue to cook whilst rest-

ing and should be rested for a minimum of 20mins.

This is yet another method of an age old tradition - the perfect roast

potato.

peel and prepare your potatoes making sure they are evenly sized.

Twice the size of a golf ball is about right to ensure they are evenly

cooked.

place in a pan of cold fresh water and bring to the boil. allow to boil

for no longer than a minute and drain immediately. Leave in the

colander to ‘steam dry’ for about 5mins. Give the colander a shake to

fluff up the edges of the potatoes (the more edges you’ve got, the more

crispy bits you’ll have at the end of cooking). If the potatoes are too

waxy, they may not fluff up. a trick here is to coat the potatoes in a little

wholemeal flour.

Depending on your taste, decide on whether you want to use

clarified butter, ordinary melted butter or duck fat. Carefully pre-heat a

baking tray on your hob with your choice of butter/fat being very careful

not to overheat. (We use the hob so as not open our oven door too

many times. If you have a spare top oven, you may use that). as soon as

you see a wisp of blue smoke or the butter begins to sizzle, you have

reached the right heat. Carefully tip the potatoes into the baking tray

and ensure each potato is covered completely by the butter/fat.

place into an oven at 200ºC/400ºf/gas 6 for 35-40mins. There is no

need to turn them at halfway as they will brown completely all over and

will have a nice crispy base. allow to drain on some absorbant kitchen

roll and keep warm until ready to serve.

10

Complicated Christmas Menu? Time Management Essentials

Megan Collins Quinlan

most of us will already have the

menu all prepared, the food will

be ordered (and maybe even

sitting in the freezer ready to go), the

final shopping trips to the supermarket

will be organised and all of the family's

tastes and foibles will be catered for. But

do you still have that feeling still in the

pit of your stomach? It can't be dismissed

as excitement – it is fear that this tower

of cards will come crashing down around

you on the big day.

Cooking on Christmas Day is one of

those times when being organised is

about as important as buying the right

gifts, getting in the right drinks for all the

family and having a box of Celebrations

on the side. You can't

just wing it, because if

you do, the dishes

won't be the only thing

you will be dealing with

at the end of the day –

you might just have a

measure of regret as

well.

be prepareD

If you can get it

done the day before,

make sure you do.

Christmas Day is often

the busiest day for the

family cook and not

just in the kitchen. as

well as cooking a huge

extended family meal,

you must also be

sociable, open presents, play with the

kids, tidy away the wrapping paper, clean

up the breakfast dishes, clean the house

ready for the guests....the list goes on.

so make the most of the days

leading up to Christmas Day. most

vegetables can be prepared the night

before the big day, many desserts can be

made and frozen in advance, snacks can

be placed around the room with clingfilm

over them (just don't be tempted to eat

them just yet!), the table can be set and

the house tidied the night before.

Get a good nights sleep, knowing

that everything is ready to go and you

only have to do the essentials the next

day.

have a running scheDule

While it is important to remember

that Christmas Day is all about enjoyment

and fun, your family will need to be

prodded from time to time to ensure that

they are doing what needs doing at the

right time.

You can be sure that the kids will get

you up early, but you may struggle to get

them fed, washed and clothed once the

presents are opened. If you carefully

explain to them the night before what

the schedule will be, there should be

fewer arguments.

many families insist that teeth are

brushed, showers are taken and beds

made before anyone comes down the

stairs and certainly before glasses of

bucks fizz are consumed and toys are

being played with. There is nothing more

motivating for children than the lure of

gifts. They will be washed and dressed

before you know it.

The schedule also applies to adults.

If you are leaving the house, they need to

be ready to go at the right time. If the

house needs to be tidied, the person in

charge of that job need to be aware of

when it must be done. finally, everyone

needs to know when lunch will be

served, so they can lay off the snacks and

save room for turkey. oh, and don't

forget the telly schedule. These days, the

family movie is one tradition which

cannot be missed.

Delegate

With a complicated menu and at

least two meals to cater for over

Christmas Day, you are wise to have a

well prepared list of things which need

doing and a willing army of helpers to

peel spuds and top and tail carrots.

as the cook, you must expect that

you will be in the kitchen most of the

day. It is just the way it is, but that

doesn't mean you need to be in there on

your own. Give each person in the house

a job to do (special guests are exempted,

of course). Kids can be in charge of filling

and refilling snacks trays and crisp bowls.

another family member can be bartender

for the day – making sure that everyone

gets their Baileys at the right time. a

favourite aunt can help prepare the veg

and Granddad can help out with the

table setting. But be firm and don't let

them opt out in favour of the latest harry

potter film on TV.

get technical

most of us now

own a smartphone and

if you are familiar with

apps, Christmas Day is

the time to use them.

There are a number of

apps available which

will help you to time

your Christmas with

such accuracy, there is

nothing which could

possibly go wrong.

apple have the

Cookit meal timer for

the iphone at just 69p.

This wonderful app will

allow you to put in

your menu and the

cooking times and it

will set an alarm for

each stage of cooking. If you are an

android user, the ultimate Cook Timer

will let you input the time you want to

eat, along with your menu and it will tell

you when the first (and subsequent)

items must be ready to pop in the oven.

making the most of this technology

has to be better than the old pen and

paper method and will avoid that

dreadful feeling when you sit down at the

table and remember that you forgot the

pigs in blankets....

If you are prone to stress on

Christmas Day and can't remember the

last time you actually had a fun and

relaxing festive season, these tips might

just help you to manage your time more

effectively and keep a tighter rein on the

family. If you can sit down at the end of

the day with a smile on your face, the

advance effort will all be worthwhile.

11

12

“Please Don’t Buy an Electric Car”Basingstoke Café Scientifique

software developer and general

science enthusiast Bob Clifford is the

organiser of Basingstoke’s own Cafe

scientifique meeting. The free monthly

events begin on monday 28th January

and will have the Lobby Bar of the

Central studio Theatre at Queen marys

College as its home.

The British science association

Branches run programmes of science,

engineering and technology events for

their local community. They work to

extend the reach of the British science

association’s activities throughout the uK

and form a widespread network of

contacts, expertise, creativity and a

passion for engaging the public with

science.

The format of the evening is usually

a talk of 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a

short break so the audience can refill

their glasses, before questions and

discussions about the talk.

monday 28th January 2013 sees

professor averil macdonald, from

reading university and professor alun

Vaughan from southampton university

lead a discussion on “the problems no

one tells you about if everyone changed

to an electric car”. The bar at the

Central studio will be open before the

talk starts at 7.30pm, so you can get

yourself a drink and have a chat with

other participants. The discussions will

aim to finish around 9.00pm, though

everyone will be welcome to stay around

and have a chat with the speakers

afterwards.

Details of future Café scientifique

talks in Basingstoke and surrounding

areas are in the events diary on the

website at:

www.cafesci-basingstoke.org.uk

You can also sign up for email reminders

of future meeting dates and topics by

joining our free meetup Group at:www.meetup.com/cafesci-basingstoke

further information from:

Bob Clifford

Tel: 01256 400678/07811 289586

E-mail: bob_clifford@email.com

“please Don’t buy an electric car”

monday 28th January 2013 at 7.30pm

Lobby Bar, Central studio, Queen mary’s

College

13

Below are the answers to the suduko quiz from Issue 7.

If you would like to see a number of different types of quizzes within the magazine, please email me your

suggestions to quizzes@locipannum.co.uk. how many of you prefer a crossword over a word search or would you

prefer something a bit more challenging? please do send your feedback to us at the above email address, or

editor@locipannum.co.uk.

Suduko

puzzle 1 puzzle 2

Suduko - answers

14

15

Health & Safety at Work advertisement

Dear santa

as you gear up for perhaps your busiest time

of the year, we just wanted to ensure you

avoid any injury at work and remind you of a

few crucial facts which may help in making

this very busy time of the year pass as

smoothly as possible.

assuming you are in fact someone’s

employee, under the Workplace (health,

safety & Welfare regulations) 1992 as

amended by the health & safety

(miscellaneous amendments) regulations

2002 any equipment provided to you or

devices or systems must be maintained in an

efficient state, in efficient working order and

in good repair. It might be advisable to have

the sleigh checked over before you embark

on your journey! so many children would be

disappointed if you were only able to

complete half of your deliveries!

manual handling: remember not to set

yourself up for an injury. risk assessments are

important in all workplaces. under

regulation 4 of the manual handling

operations regulations 1992 you must avoid

as far as is reasonably practicable exposing

yourself to injury by lifting. If you have to, fit a

hoist to your sleigh and don’t risk hurting

your back. Too many children will be

disappointed if you can’t deliver their gifts!

under the personal protective

Equipment at Work regulations 1992 and

2002 you must be provided with equipment

to be worn at work, which will protect you

against any risks to your health and safety.

adverse weather is predicted so make sure

you have adequate boots and you wrap up

well. We wouldn’t want you to suffer with

frostbite or indeed to sustain any injury by

dropping anything heavy on your toes. and if

you are provided with protective equipment

you have a duty to wear it.

santa, we don’t know whether you are

reliant upon the equivalent of a sat nav

device but this could be construed as “display

equipment” and there is legislation to govern

safety issues affecting display screen

equipment, namely the health & safety

(Display screen Equipment) regulations 1992

as amended by the health and safety

(miscellaneous amendments) regulations

2002. Your “workstation” should be analysed

to ensure that it is suitable and sufficient.

please don’t set out on your journey until you

are satisfied that all is in good working order.

Your “employer” must ensure that you have

had satisfactory eye tests. how calamitous

would it be if you were to miss the occasional

household because you have failed to keep

up your eye tests?

There is other legislation which dictates

the way employees have to work but not all

affect your routine. The Control of substances

hazardous to health regulations 2002 does

not refer to the number of mince pies or

glasses of brandy you find yourself exposed

to – but be careful, you have enormous

responsibilities on 24th December. Don’t let

the youngsters down!

Well, good luck santa. We hope that the

above is helpful. We know you have made

enormous efforts to keep everyone happy

since last year. and in the unlikely event that

you do have problems and you are injured at

work, please do not hesitate to contact

rowberry morris.

rowberry morris has a small team of

personal injury lawyers with considerable

experience who can advise on all matters of

personal injury law.

If you would like a free initial consultation to

discuss a personal injury matter please do not

hesitate to contact ian beavon on 0118 958

5611 for an informal discussion or to arrange a

preliminary appointment.

a message to santa....